Morning dawned with a relentless grip on Will Halstead, refusing to release him from its clutches. He woke to a throbbing headache that pounded in time with his heartbeat and a throat so sore it felt like he had swallowed shards of glass. Every movement sent waves of dizziness and fatigue through his body, each breath a struggle against the weight pressing down on his chest.

Will knew he couldn't ignore it any longer. He couldn't push through this time. The idea of facing another grueling shift in the ER seemed impossible. He had to call in sick.

With trembling hands, Will reached for his phone, the screen blurring before his tired eyes. He managed to unlock it, fingers fumbling over the familiar contacts list. But before he could find Maggie's name, darkness crept in at the edges of his vision. The room spun sickeningly, and Will's strength failed him.

He slumped back against his pillows, phone slipping from his grasp as unconsciousness claimed him.

Time passed in a haze of fever dreams and intermittent consciousness. Will drifted in and out, unaware of the passing hours. The pain and discomfort seemed to ebb and flow, relentless in its persistence.

Meanwhile, Jay Halstead's morning unfolded with a mounting sense of frustration and worry. He had messaged Will early, seeking more insight so they could go ahead and close the case. But as the morning wore on, there was still no response.

"Damn it, Will," Jay muttered under his breath, glancing at his phone for the umpteenth time. He knew Will had been feeling more tired, but this silence was unusual, even for him. Normally, Will would at least send a quick reply, especially when they were in the midst of a case.

He tried calling Will, but it went straight to voicemail. Jay frowned, his concern deepening. Perhaps Will was caught up in a particularly busy shift at Med. That would explain his lack of response.

As the morning turned into afternoon, Jay's worry grew into a gnawing anxiety. He paced restlessly in his office, unable to shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Should he go check on Will? But what if he was indeed at work and Jay's intrusion caused unnecessary concern?

A couple blocks away, at Chicago Med, the day progressed with its usual chaos. Connor Rhodes, busy with a particularly complex case, had been relying on Will's expertise for a critical decision. He glanced at his phone periodically, waiting for Will's input, but there was no response. As the minutes turned into hours, Connor's concern grew. It was unlike Will to be unresponsive, especially during a crucial moment in patient care. Glancing at the clock, he realized that Will's shift had started over 2 hours ago and that he would probably be in the hospital somewhere. Thinking that Will was probably caught up in cases of his own, he figured he would pop in and ask for a quick consult instead of waiting for a response.

As he moved between patient rooms, he realized that he hadn't seen Will at all that morning and wondered if maybe he was upstairs or in the other wing of the hospital with a patient.

"Has anyone heard from Will?" Connor finally asked Natalie Manning, who was passing by the nurses' station.

Natalie frowned, glancing at her own phone. "I haven't seen any messages from him since last night," she replied, concern etching lines into her brow. "That's not like him."

Connor nodded, a sinking feeling settling in his gut. He knew Will had been feeling under the weather lately, but this silence was unsettling. "I'll try calling him," he decided, reaching for his phone.

Back at Will's apartment, the silence was broken only by constant buzzing of his phone. 5 messages from Natalie, another 10 from Jay and a whopping 25 from Connor. Will lay alone in bed, his fever burning brightly, his phone lying forgotten on the nightstand. Outside, the world continued its relentless march forward, oblivious to his suffering.

Connor's call went unanswered, straight to voicemail. He frowned, his worry intensifying. "He's not picking up."

"You know, he's been over at the 21st recently helping Jay on a case, maybe he got caught up there?" Natalie wondered.

"Maybe" Connor mused, "I'll give Jay a call, maybe he got so caught up he forgot he was on shift today."

Over at the 21st, Jay's desk phone began to ring.

"Halstead" Jay grunted into his receiver.

"Jay, have you heard from Will today?" Connor's voice was calm, but there was an underlying tension that Jay immediately picked up on.

"No, I've been trying to reach him all morning, but he wasn't responding" Jay replied quickly, his worry spiking. "I figured he was probably too busy at Med to respond."

Connor hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "He hasn't shown up for shift and no one's seen him since he left the hospital last night."

Jay felt his stomach drop, this wasn't like Will, not since he came back from New York. He hasn't missed a shift at Med in years and certainly not without calling in to let them know he wouldn't be there. "I'll find him," Jay responds with determination, clicking the receiver back into its cradle without so much as a goodbye.

Jay drove recklessly through Chicago traffic, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Will had been distant lately, struggling with personal issues, but this disappearance was unlike him. Jay's hands clenched the steering wheel as he pulled up to Will's apartment building.

Bounding up the stairs, Jay ignored the burn in his legs, fueled by adrenaline and fear. He knocked on Will's door, calling out his name with increasing urgency. When no answer came, Jay fished out the spare key Will had given him for emergencies. The door swung open, revealing the mess of clothes and shoes that Will had so haphazardly discarded the night before. With his heart hammering in his chest, Jay steps into Will's apartment, calling out for his brother.

The living room and kitchen were empty, but the door to the bedroom was slighty ajar. "Will!" Jay called out, rushing inside. He found Will slumped on the side of his bed, blankets half-pulled off the bed, face flushed with fever. Jay's heart clenched at the sight of his usually strong brother looking so vulnerable.

"Shit, Will," Jay cursed softly, kneeling beside him. He shook Will's shoulder gently, desperate for any response. Will groaned weakly, eyelids fluttering but not opening.

Jay's worry boiled over. "Damn it Will, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well" he demanded, his voice cracking with emotion. "Why didn't you call me when you needed help?"

With determination born of desperation, Jay scooped Will into his arms, surprised by how heavy and frail he felt. Ignoring his own exhaustion, Jay hurried back down to his car, the weight of his brother pressing against him a constant reminder of the seriousness of the situation.

At Chicago Med, Jay burst through the doors, shouting for assistance. Nurses and doctors rushed to his aid, guiding Jay and Will to a trauma room where they could assess his brother's condition. Jay paced outside, nerves raw with worry, as medical staff worked urgently to stabilize Will.

Connor Rhodes appeared beside him, concern etched on his face. "We'll take care of him, Jay," Connor assured him, a steadying hand on his shoulder.